The present invention relates to computing, and in particular, to a systems and methods for dynamically provisioning computing resources.
In general, the concepts of “virtual” and “cloud computing” includes the utilization of a set of shared computing resources (e.g., servers) which are typically consolidated in one or more data center locations. For example, cloud computing systems may be implemented as a web service that enables a user to launch and manage computing resources (e.g., virtual server instances) in third party data centers. In a cloud environment, computer resources may be available in different sizes and configurations so that different resource types can be specified to meet specific needs of different users. For example, one user may desire to use small instance as a web server and another larger instance as a database server, or an even larger instance for processor intensive applications. Cloud computing offers this type of outsourced flexibility without having to manage the purchase and operation of additional hardware resources within an organization.
A cloud-based computing resource is thought to execute or reside somewhere on the “cloud”, which may be an internal corporate network or the public Internet. From the perspective of an application developer or information technology administrator, cloud computing enables the development and deployment of applications that exhibit scalability (e.g., increase or decrease resource utilization as needed), performance (e.g., execute efficiently and fast), and reliability (e.g., never, or at least rarely, fail), all without any regard for the nature or location of the underlying infrastructure.
A number of factors have given rise to an increase in the utilization of cloud computing resources. For example, advances in networking technologies have significantly improved resource connectivity while decreasing connectivity costs. Advances in virtualization technologies have increased the efficiency of computing hardware by improving scalability and making it possible to more closely match computing hardware resources to the requirements of a particular computing task. Additionally, virtualization technologies commonly deployed in cloud computing environments have improved application reliability by enabling failover policies and procedures that reduce disruption due to an application or hardware failure.
A variety of different computing resources may be created on a cloud. For example, a resource may include all the information necessary to run application software, and may include UNIX, Linux, or Windows operating systems and specific application software as desired by a user. The information for configuring the resource to be created is referred to as an image. After an image has been created (instantiated), the resource becomes an instance (a server instance).
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical cloud computing architecture. A service requester 104 may desire to use computing resources available on the cloud 102. As mentioned above, physically, the cloud may be one or more physical computer networks (e.g., server farms) accessible over the Internet, for example, with software for creating resource images and instances desired by users. One such cloud computing system is offered by Amazon.com®. Before a cloud computing resource can be created and used, a user must typically configure the particular resource. For example, in the case of a virtual server or virtual appliance, a user must configure the server or appliance and provision a physical server to execute the virtual server or appliance. Service requestor 104 may send messages to a cloud management system 103 to create or access configuration information for creating resources on cloud 102. In response to such messages, cloud management system 103 may configure a virtual server or virtual appliance for use by a requesting user. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the cloud management system 103 may act as an interface, whereby one or more users may setup resources on the cloud. For example, cloud management system 103 may facilitate web-based access to various administrative functions thereby enabling the user to configure the cloud-based resource using a conventional web browser application. For instance, the management system 103 may display to the user a list of resources or services that the user can utilize, along with a list of commands (e.g., start, stop, suspend, list) that can be executed to operate on, or with, certain resources. As mentioned above, the cloud-based resources may comprise, for example, a list of preconfigured or customized machine images corresponding to virtual servers that can be instantiated in the cloud. The management systems may manage the available resources, including the physical servers.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, cloud management system 103 may use configuration data 105 for setting up computing resources for different users. The configuration data may specify the details of the computing resources to be allocated, such as the image to be instantiated and the amount of computing resources to be applied. For instance, a user may upload a customized machine image or select a pre-configured machine image. The management system may store configuration data 105 in a repository, for example. When the user desires to use the resources, the system may generate the necessary commands for instantiating the virtual server on the appropriate physical server. For example, if a user desires a small amount of resources, the user may direct management system 103 to access configuration data specifying an image including a virtual CPU having a certain processing power and specifications, 1 GB of memory, and 100 GB of persistent storage. However, if the user desires a large amount of resources, the user may direct management system 103 to access configuration data specifying an image including multiple virtual CPUs having a certain processing power, 10 GB of memory, and 500 GB of persistent storage. The images are used to create server instances of the specified resources. Once the resources are instantiated, a link to the resources is sent to the user (e.g., an IP address) and the user may access the resources to run software applications as desired.
There are a number of problems with the existing tools and techniques for provisioning resources in a computing cloud. First, conventional cloud management systems provide no easy way for a user to integrate remote cloud-based resources with existing corporate or enterprise infrastructure. In particular, as additional resources are needed, existing techniques for instantiating new resources are inefficient and time consuming. For example, if a server cluster requires additional resources, existing techniques require that the system be shut down and reconfigured with new resources. Similarly, as instantiated resources become underutilized, existing techniques for automatically de-instantiating existing resources, as those resources are no longer needed, are similarly inefficient and time consuming. Consequently, there exists a need for improved systems and methods for dynamically provisioning computing resources.